My first gaming computer!!!

[PEP]

I finally have to the chance to make my first ever computer from scratch!!!
I have around a 1000$ but if necessary am willing to shell out some more.
As the thread title states i will be building a gaming computer.
I would really appreciate it if someone could help me out with my decision.
As a general guideline i was thinking of getting a Intel quad core, because i heard the q6600 or something like that had great performance for its price, but i could use some help with the specifics such as the L1 and L2 cache which i heard is really important . Also i was going for 4 gig DDR2 ram, since vista would require a whole lot of ram on its own already, and 4 gig seems to be the new standard. At first i was really planning to buy a 8800gt but recently ive been hearing that the ATI 4850 is almost the same price and much better. Im really awkward about getting ATI because ive just been a fan of NVIDIA i guess, and in general i have the mentality that its just better, but i would love to hear some comments on that issue.
I have no idea what kind of motherboard to get, but i obviously want one that wont interfere with future upgrading of parts, and i also would want it to support at least 3 hard drives (although i dont know whether that really has to do with the motherboard or just the SATA or IDE wire). The reason i want multiple hard drives is because i already have a kind of old computer with 2 hard drives in there for windows XP. I was wondering if i can take the two harddrives and insert them into my new computer and then put a new hard drive in there as well and put vista on that one, so in a way i can have both operating systems on it. The reason for that would be because i would rather have one computer that has it all instead of 2 separate ones, i really could use help with this).

I would also need a new monitor(since the one i currently have is one of those really old ones, but i would like someone to help me out with refresh rates on the new flat screen monitors because i heard that they dont have to refresh or something so im really confused now) and the Windows Vista( now i hate vista but with games coming out these days and having vista only features, i dont really have a choice)
Also im going for a DVD-R and thats really it.


I know i wrote a lot and i probably wrote too much but im just really excited to finally be able to not lag in my games... that 6800GS that i got is really really damaged....
Thanks for reading

 

[PEP]

Now that i think about it... even though id rather go for 1000$... in theory i can go all the up to like 1500.... but id really really rather not do that...

 

[Agent1011010110]

One thing I would advise on is get a SLi mobo for sure. I have a couple of 680i's and work very well, but you may want to go for a 780i if you want to get crazy and have more than two gpu's. I don't recommend doing this because of the northbridge and southbridge temps trying to run and also the heat that is put off by 3-4 cards is not very useful. If you want the best bang for you buck then I suggest a 680i which runs pci-e at x16 x16. I use XFX and have nothing but good performance even with overclocking to 3.0 and 3.2 on air cooling. Some say 680i's are not as OC frendly as a let's say P35 or the like but they must be retarded because with limited tinkering I have no prob. As far as gpu's go I am an Nvidia fan myself as well but the new ATI's and specifically the 4850 has some impressive specs for just a little more than the 8800gt, but I have twin sets of 8800gt and 8800gs and work flawlessly. I've read that ATI's have problems with some multi core app's and people are subject to using patches, but I've only read about this. I suggest Antec psu, any with Sli and 600+ watts, and also an Antec case 300 or 900 which have great airflow and sleek. No flashy lights though. AS far as memory goes you will need 4gb's and I suggest OCZ. Best if you get 2 x 2gb than 4 x 1gb. Also you don't need more than 800mhz, 1066mhz tops, for this with a q6600 which I also recommend due to cost and easily OC'ed. Got 2. You can OC to 3.2 with a decent air cooling. FOr cpu cooling I recommend Thermaltake or Zalman. As far as a monitor goes I suggest at least a 22" or maybe a 24", but 22" is very resonable. Best bang fro your buck but less on the resolution go with Acer because very affordable for latger monitors but HP has many deal on quality monitors and seem to give the best warranties and has better resolution but cost more. You can get a decent basic DVD+rw deals anywhere of any brand really for cheap. Beyond that invest into some decent powered Altec Lansing pc speakers and there you go.

 

[dez_666]

not to bash mr agent here, but i suggest getting a motherboard with crossfire support
because the 48xx series is really nice. i have a HD 3850 from about a year ago, it is really nice, and i imagine the 48xx would be even nice.
anyways as for mobo, maybe find a nice ASUS
and ram, i would personally suggest 2GB at a high speed and only get 4GB if you have the extra money.

as for the multi-boot and multiple hard drives, most motherboards support quite a few sata drives these days (my asus maximus formula has 6 sata ports). but i think multi-booting is beyond the scope of this thread, but i will mention it's quite easy to do.

 

[Compiler]

If you got the $$$ 24" is the way to go... You can pick up a Samsung for $350~450 (Samsung has a 25.5" monitor for $450).

The NEXT great upgrade is Core i7 which is NOT compatible with todays motherboards and is DDR3 only memory. And with todays Core2 CPUs... DDR3 is simply not needed. I don't believe much in multi-GPU setups... You're spendnig an extra $200~400 for that option... ie: motherboard, PSU, case, cooling fans, etc.

While a single $225 ATi 4870 card is not as fast as two 8800GTs at $250~300, the 4870 is still an excellent value... You could get a dual 4870 card for about $550

=============================================
$190 - Q6600 CPU (I have one) These prices are www.newegg.com
$ 85 - Gigabyte P35 motherboard (NON RAID version). http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128337
$115 - 4GB RAM 1066Mhz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231184 G.Skill has some nice 1066Mhz memory, Corsair, Crucial are top, usually. But in the real world - performance wise, no difference.
$ 75 - 500GB HD = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cription=500GB hard drive&bop=And&Order=PRICE
$ 60 - DVD Burners (x2) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827129032
$110 - 650watt high end PSU = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005 ($20 rebate = $90)

$100 = Vista 64bit

Total BASE build = $735.00

Now for your OPTIONS:

$10~20 = Card Reader bay (3.5) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&SpeTabStoreType=&Order=BESTMATCH&srchInDesc=
$100~250 = high end computer case http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010090007 4017&bop=And&Order=RATING
$210 = ATI 4850 card with Excellent cooling = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161244
$280 = ATI 4870 card = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129113 ($255 after rebate)

I'd go with an Antec 900 personally... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
but this one has style for $130: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129025
Want to scare your friends: $250 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...A=0&Description=thermaltake+Mozart+tx&x=0&y=0

So... let's say you went with: Antec P182, Card reader and ATI 4850 card.
Your total will be: $1085 (Before $30 rebates) You can have the parts in 3-5 days and build the PC in a day...

Go with the even faster 4870 card... $1155 (before $55 in rebates)... Going with the giant Thermaltake (A nice case to work with btw), will add $100 or so to you costs.

PS: I don't like cases with doors in front of drives... this one is $80 and is quite nice... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129018

 

[sup2a]

One thing I would advise on is get a SLi mobo for sure. I have a couple of 680i's and work very well, but you may want to go for a 780i if you want to get crazy and have more than two gpu's. I don't recommend doing this because of the northbridge and southbridge temps trying to run and also the heat that is put off by 3-4 cards is not very useful. If you want the best bang for you buck then I suggest a 680i which runs pci-e at x16 x16. I use XFX and have nothing but good performance even with overclocking to 3.0 and 3.2 on air cooling. Some say 680i's are not as OC frendly as a let's say P35 or the like but they must be retarded because with limited tinkering I have no prob. As far as gpu's go I am an Nvidia fan myself as well but the new ATI's and specifically the 4850 has some impressive specs for just a little more than the 8800gt, but I have twin sets of 8800gt and 8800gs and work flawlessly. I've read that ATI's have problems with some multi core app's and people are subject to using patches, but I've only read about this. I suggest Antec psu, any with Sli and 600+ watts, and also an Antec case 300 or 900 which have great airflow and sleek. No flashy lights though. AS far as memory goes you will need 4gb's and I suggest OCZ. Best if you get 2 x 2gb than 4 x 1gb. Also you don't need more than 800mhz, 1066mhz tops, for this with a q6600 which I also recommend due to cost and easily OC'ed. Got 2. You can OC to 3.2 with a decent air cooling. FOr cpu cooling I recommend Thermaltake or Zalman. As far as a monitor goes I suggest at least a 22" or maybe a 24", but 22" is very resonable. Best bang fro your buck but less on the resolution go with Acer because very affordable for latger monitors but HP has many deal on quality monitors and seem to give the best warranties and has better resolution but cost more. You can get a decent basic DVD+rw deals anywhere of any brand really for cheap. Beyond that invest into some decent powered Altec Lansing pc speakers and there you go.

RAM, id suggest Corsair over OCZ any day Corsair is by far better, go for PC6400 if your running low on money cause the next is going to cost you a fair bit more and only have a small increase. Depending on your budget when you reach the graphics cards you could go for a) the ATi 4850 b) ATi 4870 c) ATi 4870X2. Right now i would not suggest anything more or less than the newest ATi range, they CANNOT be beaten for price/performance, the 4870 is very close to nividia's top card the GTX 280 for a VERY good price.

Monitors... doesnt really mater what size, get what you can afford however for gaming you want something with at least the speed of 5ms response time. Thats all i know about monitors

Cases are up to you as well, we cant tell you what you like, just make sure its a good brand eg. Antec or Lian Li. And make sure it has good ventilation and lots of decent fans.

Powersupply is possible one of the most important parts of a computer make sure you get something good, quality does not have a price int his area, make sure you get something that is easily going top power you computer, Antec make good power supplies, a 600W Antec should be sufficient (note that Watts do not mean much but foe the purpose of this build it should do) Corsair make VERY good quality power supplies too, if you are going to run dual video cards get something SLi certified.

 

[Compiler]

Corsair's PSUs are easily better made than Antec.... which is fine. But if you're going to paying big bucks, might as well get something really good for your money. The difference in price is about $10~15. Check out this chart - the first 1... Antec 430 vs a Corsair 450watt.. noise. PSU get louder as their workload (heat) increase.

PEP, also keep in mind of your OLDER Hard-drives... don't bother. Get the new 500~1000GB drive, create partitions and copy your games & data over after Vista is installed. Doing multi-boot isn't exactly fun and beside you cant just PUT your old HDs and expect your XP system to boot up, it won't happen... especially an OEM version. Just keep your OLD computer around for a while until you don't need it. I use my "OLD" computers and my #2 PCs... and when I upgrade, I end up selling my old #2s

Also, having 2-3 HDs will create more heat and noise and vibrations. Todays HDs are almost silent. Besides, your optical and HD should be SATA only...

 

[PEP]

Wow thanks for the responses guys!!! im really overwhelmed here!!! i thought i knew a thing or two about hardware, but apparently some technicalities are ahead of me here. For example, cooling is completely alien to me. I never ever had anything more than 1 fan considering that i never bought a computer and always got some mid-old computer for free. In fact the only purchases i ever made for a computer period was a power supply and a 6800gs, so thats really my total experience in the computer building world. The clashing opinions are really helpful but they also complicate things a bit, im trying to do my best and look up all these parts that u guys are mentioning. I dont want to be a lazy ******* after you guys posted all this, since it clearly shows that you really are trying to help me out here.

Sli/Crossfire is a main concern. I always hear from one person that dual cards is awesome and then i hear the exact opposite from someone else who says that theres no point in dual cards and that you might as well just get a really good single card. Also i heard that Sli is more optimized than Crossfire, but i dont know if its true. I was really thinking about getting a 4850, but since i got some extra money.. which by the way was all made possible by the PELL grant i got for college , luckily tuition is payed for already. Anyway i was really considering getting the 4850 but i heard that in the future if you want to improve GPU performance that it would be good to just by a second card and put it in dual mode, but since i heard that Crossfire isnt as fleshed out as Sli im having clashing thoughts.


On the plus side, the processor is pretty much gonna be a q6600, since everybody seems to have it and everyone says its very OCable, and i just love to OC things... even though i never did a CPU before, so ill make sure ill ask about it later. That link for the cpu that COMPILER posted just leads to a general computer parts page on the newegg site so i didnt get a chance to see which q6600 you meant, and i really dont know which would be the best q6600 balance between price and performance.

The terms 680i and 780i ring a bell, but i dont actually know what they mean. My guess is it has something to do with the model of the ummm Sli for the motherboard or something?? the chip?? im not sure...... sry for the incompetence... im majoring in computer engineering so theres light at the end of the tunnel hopefully.

Now for the cooling.. i did hear about thermaltake but not zalman. From what i know its supposed to be some kind of ummm paste or something that u apply to the cpu chip and it.. somehow improves the energy transfer and lowers hear or something.. yet i get a guy feeling im talking about the completely wrong thing.

The monitor is really the last thing to focus on. After all no matter what, i already have A monitor, good or bad... so size and w/e is not important for now i guess.

Now about ram, i always thought of it as 1 gig, 2 gig etc.... i never really thought of the variety of ram speed, now i understand that it affects the transfer speed or something, but what i cant determine due to my lack of knowledge is the performance difference between the mhz differences.

Lets leave the case for later as well, id rather first wry about the guts of the system...

Now my main concern is with the 2 old hard drives. I really dont see why i cant have 2 hdd that act as a separate windows xp system, and 1 hdd that will be the vista system.
Its just that my family uses the 2 hdd and i really dont want to separate computers since i dont want to go through the trouble of looking for space and getting a router to split internet connection. It just feels like it would be more convenient to have them both on one computer just sharing the same amazing hardware. I did look up adapters that convert from SATA to IDE or back, i dont know which is the old one. Perhaps im just not getting something and would be happy to have my flawed logic explained to me

Oh by the way, i really dont know much about the quality of different companies besides Nvidia,Ati. I did "hear" of the companies that you guys are mentioning though, which are the popular ones i guess.

The motherboard im truly clueless about. All i see in my head are different chunks of metal which have slots for other hardware, and some have more than others.

Noise never really bothered me, but maybe i never really experienced a loud computer, the one i got is as silent as a mime... that has a fan..

Well thats pretty much what i can say for now.... still checking out the things you guys mentioned.. i was wondering that maybe we can go one step at a time, maybe starting with the GPU first.. or whatever is the first most important thing you guys think should be... probably the motherboard... thanks again for the many replies thanks

 

[Compiler]

- There is only one Q6600 CPU, and theres a retail or OEM versions - but only the retail verison is $190. I was giving you the website to do shopping... type in Q6600 and newegg will show you.

- For an SLI/CF setup your costs go up. $85~$100 for a mobo, vs $225~300. $90 for a 550watt PSU vs $250 for a 850~1000 watt PSU. More cooling fans, more power, more heat, etc. There is no ONE is always better than other for SLi vs CF. But HERE is the issue... you're paying a lot of money for something that ends up being out-dated quickly. If you're a professional go for broke gamer, then SLi/CF is the way to go... you need a 30" LCD monitor and you need 2500x1600 ability.

1280x1024 Crysis, MAX details:
64.9fps = GTX 280 sli ($450 each x2 = $900 - msrp was $600)
64.8fps = GTX 260 sli ($250 each x 2 = $500 - msrp was $450)
51.6fps = GTX 280
45.6fps = GTX 260
45.1fps = ATI 4870 X2 card (CF & X2 cards perform about the same) $550
45.5fps = ATI 4870 ($275)

Crysis in 2560x1600
32.0fps = GTX 280 sli $900
26.5fps = GTX 260 sli $500
22.2fps = GTX 280
18.1fps = GTX 260
34.2fps = ATI 4870 X2 card (CF & X2 cards perform about the same) $550
~. fps = ATI 4870 ($275)
So in MAX details on a 32" LCD monitor, a single $550 card is still faster two top end SLi cards that are $500 / $900.

Race Driver GRID in 2560x1600 MAX details
71.7fps = GTX 280 sli
59.3fps = GTX 260 sli
40.6fps = GTX 280
32.9fps = GTX 260
82.6fps = ATI 4870 X2
43.9fps = ATI 4870
Again... even a single 4870 card is a tad faster than a GTX 280 and at $200 lower price. Even for a 24" monitor, 4870 = 74fps vs 60fps on GTX 280.

Base parts costs (Mobo, PSU & Video cards)
SLI for GTX 280 = $250+$250+$900 = $1400 (Corsair 1000watt PSU)
SLI for GTX 260 = $250+$250+$500 = $1000 (Corsair 1000watt PSU)
ATI 4870x2 Card= $85 + $90 + $550 = $725 (Corsair 650watt PSU - $745 w/750watt)

So... you can end up spending hundreds, if not double... and the system is not always on top. Of course, if you buy two 8800GT cards for about $300, it will be faster than a single $275 4870 card (in some games), but you still have the added costs of $250+ for supported hardware to get SLi...

What size LCD monitor are you buying that needs such performance? A $400 24" will do 1920x1200... A 30" will cost you about $1500.

- You buy an SLi motherboard, but two $150 4850 cards are faster than two $135 8800GT cards - but an SLi board won't do CF ATI and the other way around... So then perhaps you end up buying a single ATI X2 card... and then the SLi functions ends up useless... Hence, only about 1% of those who buy SLI for the future, actually every use the slot. Now, an AMD CF board is cheap starting at $90, avg $120... Intel is $250~350 but thats only for CF... for 780 SLI, you're looking at $240~280. BTW, high-end boards cater to hard-core and require more tweaking and perfect parts to work properly. Like compare a BMW 5 series to a Honda Civic... Both are nice fast cars, BMW costs more but will be in the shop more. The Civic will give you a lot less trouble.

- Yes, 680i, 780i, 680a, P45, X48 are CHIPSETS controllers used on motherboards. For the most part, the difference in performance between 10 different X48 motherboards is nil. You're paying for extras or brand prefernce.
For SLI, you must buy an Nvidia chipset - the older 680i or more current 780 or 790... A 780 is not full sli (16x16) but only 16x8... so you may want the $350~400 790i. The 680i are long gone, some 650s are around for 16x8. Oh, and many of these - even for intel are DDR3 only - which costs 2-3 times the amount for DD2 - yet no noticable difference in performance. Stick with a P35 (older) or P45 (Newer, but not bug-free) intel board from someone like Gigabyte for $80~120 is a lot easier.

- I already gave you a link for RAM speed of 1066mhz.

- Older HDs? Why not simply setup user accounts for Vista (or XP) rather than dealing with slow noisy old drives? You're talking about rebooting for someone to use other data. If you setup accounts, you can just switch in a few seconds. If you have a family using a computer... you need more than one. When you want to play a game - but your hardware is doing nothing while the wife is checking her email... Keep the old computer, it works. You're spending $1000~1500 on a computer, a $35~50 wireless router is can be setup in 10minutes. What if someone brings in a notebook... with a wireless router- they or you can get online. Here's a wireless one for under $40: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122016 It comes with a single 6ft cable for one PC, so you'd need to buy another one.

BTW, my 3yr old boy has HIS own computer with a gaming card and internet access to play Disney/Sesame Street games and puzzles and it keeps him OFF my computer. He'll play games and give me high-5 when he wins.

A typical PC has about 3 fans. PSU, CPU and case fan. A GPU is another... some cases (big ones) have 2-5 fans. The $60 Antec 300 comes with two (which is enough) and the industry is working to make these things quiet. Compared to 10 years ago - they are quiet... but you can hear every click a PC makes thou...

A good friend thought his PC was "quiet" and I couldn't stand it every time I came into his office/computer room (at home). For a present, I replaced 4 of his cooling fans with newer fans. Then he understood. When he upgraded 6 months later, his CPU/mobo & GPU - it was even quiter.

Good luck.

 

[sup2a]

Sorry i cant help myself but to mention a few things at a time, Nvidia and ATi are about the same right now (quality wise) ATi are on top with their 4000 range price, performance and common sense.

RAM, there are HEAPS of different frequencies and types, DDR ram is the old type going up to 400Mhz (im pretty sure ) DDR2 is the ram most people use nowadays 800Mhz or PC6400 is the best value for money, its fast and cheap, the 1066Mhz is only a VERY slight bit faster only a few percent and costs a bit more still a decent choice for higher end systems. DDR3 RAM is out now and costs a fortune! for only 1-2% performance increase, to get anything out of it we will have to wait for the new processors due next year. Of course you can go even deeper into RAM by looking at latency and whatnot, but that should probably be left to a different thread

The motherboard is of course very important, SLi and Crossfire, is a very difficult point... a recent survey (2-3 months ago) by the makers of Half Life 2 showed that plenty of people have SLi compatible motherboard but only 1% of those people actually used it! I mean its kind of pointless, in the best cases you can get a 25% performance increase, not too much considering you have to pay for 2 high end graphics cards, a single, high performance card would do just fine. Of course having a dual graphics cards board would be good for the future, but is it worth the extra money? And its a fair bit more for a good SLi board. Still its up to you, just look at your budget closely and see if you CAN even do that keeping in mind its better to have 1 powerful card rather than 2 weaker cards.

Cooling if fine, you are thinking of thermal paste, look up a product called arctic silver its a very good thermal paste, its only a few dollars and necessary, you get some with the processor, but your better off getting some arctic silver if your going to OC, just apply to CPU and stick the cooler on its simple. With a gaming build your going to need some decent cooling, although its up to you how much, too much could be unnecessary, for OCing i suggest a decent high end cooler for the CPU. The case you get as long as you get a good one should be fine for cooling. If you need it also get an aftermarket fan for the GPU.

Sound isnt really a problem to most, most gaming computers are going to be a little loud, you can get sound insulation for cases, but that wont do too much, if you get larger fans, that spin slower they will offer the same cooling as small fans and be a lot quieter.

beat me to it again Compiler!

 

[Compiler]

Its not a race, Sup2a.

While Sli/CF is better nowadays that in the past... it still seems like the same ole thing. Once you ACTUALLY need a dual video card setup... (A) A single faster card is better and (B) you need to find a matching 2nd card (C) You don't get double the performance.

But another company has developed (software or hardware, I don't remember) that is supposed to make dual cards actually give almost double the performance... that would be the killer thing... and is why SLi/CF aren't that great IMHO. The original SLI from Voodoo2 days did actually double the performance since Card (A) did odd lines, card (B) did even lines. Also it allowed higher res. for gaming in the 90s.

Noise: My desktop is about 6 inches from my keyboard... quad core, etc type setup. So Noise is a big issue to me. Its an Antec P160 case (now called Sonata) and what noise I am getting is mostly wind. I have a fanless 8600GT - but there is really isn't anything else that is powerful that is fanless which doesn't dump heat into case. My old 7600GT is a two-slot card fanless which vents heat outside. So the 4670 card I ordered is two slots designed to send heat outside as well - but it has a fan. But I have that same cooler on my 9800Pro in my kid's computer which is near silent. I spent an extra $20 to get such a cooler pre-installed.

 

[Compiler]

PEP:

This Artic Cooling HSF is silent, well made and does a very good job of keeping the CPU cool if you want to overclock a bit. Its $32 - but does a better job than many $50~75 coolers on the market. It's not the VERY best - but that'll cost you $70~100. But its among the most silent. I've installed this in almost every Intel system I've built and love it. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

Only downside is space issue, but oh well.

 

[PEP]

Ok, so no dual cards. That ram you compiler looks good so that could be it for that(although i read some comments and it said something about manually setting speed in bios?? just wondering ill have to do that)

At first i was gonna get the 4850, but now it seems that with the budget i got i can go for the 4870 which according to compiler is cheaper than a gtx 280 and yet almost or even faster than one at times, even though the gtx 280 beat it in crysis thats understandable since crysis is optimized for nvidia anyway. What im confused about are the ati 2X cards, its 2 actual separate cards right??
Now the whole monitor issue is no problem, i guess i can consider myself lucky since 1024x768 is perfectly fine gaming for me, and the 1280x1024 would really be the highest i would go to, so the monitor doesnt have to be a monster.

The q6600 really are all the same lol, i thought that different brands had different clock speeds on it or something.. sounds stupid to myself now... so q6600 it is. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017
I was thinking of this one, but there seems to be an issue where some people get the B3 stepping instead of G0 stepping which is older or something and not as good.


The reason i want to keep the old 2 HD is because i dont really have too much space in the apartment.. so two computers would push it a little and in my head it just seemed very convenient to ahve it all i none pc. choosing which system to boot at startup doesnt seem like too much of a big deal to me, but if its a really bad idea than i guess i can have two seperate computers, which will mean ill have to get that router you posted the link to.

So assuming i get a q6600, the mentioned ram, 4870, now ill need to choose the motherboard, i guess it should be something that makes upgrading possible for the future.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134
I have a question about the cooler. Does this come with the thermal paste that you first apply to the cpu chip and then you put this fan on top instead of the traditional hearsink like the one i have on my current P4.

I was gonna put together more pieces right now but i gots to go to class

 

[Compiler]

1) The ATI X2 cards means its a single card with two chips on it. Its rather long. So a case like the 900/1200 might be better. Nvidia has a single-slot video card that IS two cards attached together.

2) Q6600 CPU, theres is only one brand. Don't worry about the B3 vs G0 Stepping, it has to do with overclockability... and it was a BIG deal last OCT when G0 cpus first hit the market in which people paid extra to get such a CPU... It would be rare to get a B3 CPU... like none.

3) Create partitions, create user accounts. With user accounts, you don't need to reboot your computer. OLD hard drives, even those 3 years older are noisy compared to modern HDs. Copy yor data over... I live in an apartment and have 2 PCs side by side (both with LCDs).. a bit cramped - but the other person is only 35lbs.

4) I linked you a motherboard... highly recommeneded. Also, Corsair is considered a bit better quality... but G.Skill is not a junk brand. You can only fit two of such memory modules on motherboards with that ArticCooling cooler. Buts it not much of a prolem. (2 sticks is best over 4) - and if another 2 are needed, get 2 non-fancy modules.

5) Artic Cooling has thermal pad applied. I didn't remove it and put on Artic Silver... perhaps I should when I feel like messing with it. My temps might be a tad 1-3c lower when running 3.0Ghz. Read the instructions on Artic Silver's website to apply properly. VERY important.

6) P35 board isn't quite a future proof as a p45 - but at this time, nothing is. In year or so, you'd have to replace CPU/Mobo/RAM to upgrade worth while. One reason its silly to spend $300~400 on a motherboard that CAN'T use the new CPUs coming out next year.

 

[PEP]

How would i be able to copy data over from one HD to the other without an adapter... they are very very old hard drives, and besides if i have one HD would it be possible to have one OS on one partition and another OS on another?

You confuse me a little with the memory modules. Do you mean that the cooler will block a slot or something?? so that i cant fit more in??


So.. which one of the 3 should i really go for.. im thinking the more fans the better?? since the 4870 is said to run hot??

and should i get the card from the link or maybe theres a pre OC'd one or one with better cooling?? i ono...